Andrew Niccol presents Gattaca as a world destroyed by the pursuit of perfection and raises the question of what it means to be human. Niccol explores how personal identity and happiness are destroyed by pursuing perfection through the characters of Irene, Vincent and Jerome. Irene and Vincent struggled with their personal identities because of their genetic imperfections and Eugene suffered from the burden of perfection. Nonetheless, Niccol shows that these issues with perfection and imperfection can be overcome through the character development of Irene, Vincent and Jerome.
Personal identity is destroyed by the pursuit of perfection and Niccol demonstrates this through the characterisation and costuming of Irene and Vincent. Irene and Vincent …show more content…
She moved robotically, spoke with a monotone voice and wore an expressionless face. Niccol uses costuming and characterization to convey Irene’s lack of individuality. Irene is supposed to represent perfection, but this limited her from accepting her personal identity. The importance of being genetically perfect in Gattaca impacted Irene’s view of herself negatively because of her weak heart. Vincent points this out to Irene saying ‘they’ve got you looking so hard for flaws that after a while that’s all you can see’. Niccol utilizes characterization to convey Irene overcoming her flaws through her relationship with Vincent. Similarly, Jerome was also born with a weak heart condition which interferes with his goal. Niccol expresses Vincent’s personal identity being destroyed by Vincent taking on a new identity as Jerome Morrow. Vincent changes his entire appearance with contact lenses, a haircut and leg lengthening surgery to replace Jerome. Eugene tells Vincent that ‘When they look at you, they don’t see you anymore, they only see me’. Vincent’s sacrifices his personal identity to become Jerome Morrow, a genetically perfect person. This communicates that in this society, identity is found in a …show more content…
Eugene suffered from the burden of perfection and his happiness was destroyed. Vincent described Eugene as a person with ‘all the gifts required. A genetic quotient second to none’. Niccol characterised Eugene as the genetic definition of perfect, however, he was still not good enough when it came to a society like Gattaca. Eugene expresses this by saying, ‘With all I had going for me, I was still second best’. Eugene was second in the swimming competition, which would normally be considered a great achievement. However, Gattaca is a world perfection is the norm, therefore, second best was unacceptable. Eugene’s genetics are supposed to be ‘perfect’ and it should’ve been enough to win, but it isn’t, and society taught him that perfection should equal success and success should equal happiness. However, when this didn’t play out, Vincent has no other standards to measure happiness and therefore became unsatisfied with himself. In Eugene’s suicide scene, Eugene places his silver metal around his neck. The silver medal is a symbolism of Eugene’s unhappiness, as it is the cause of his suffering. However, Eugene’s character changes throughout the film. Eugene now had a purpose in helping Vincent achieve his goal, however, in the end, his failure overcame him and he killed himself. Niccol uses the characterisation of Eugene to convey that the destructive nature of perfection
Personal identity is destroyed by the pursuit of perfection and Niccol demonstrates this through the characterisation and costuming of Irene and Vincent. Irene and Vincent …show more content…
She moved robotically, spoke with a monotone voice and wore an expressionless face. Niccol uses costuming and characterization to convey Irene’s lack of individuality. Irene is supposed to represent perfection, but this limited her from accepting her personal identity. The importance of being genetically perfect in Gattaca impacted Irene’s view of herself negatively because of her weak heart. Vincent points this out to Irene saying ‘they’ve got you looking so hard for flaws that after a while that’s all you can see’. Niccol utilizes characterization to convey Irene overcoming her flaws through her relationship with Vincent. Similarly, Jerome was also born with a weak heart condition which interferes with his goal. Niccol expresses Vincent’s personal identity being destroyed by Vincent taking on a new identity as Jerome Morrow. Vincent changes his entire appearance with contact lenses, a haircut and leg lengthening surgery to replace Jerome. Eugene tells Vincent that ‘When they look at you, they don’t see you anymore, they only see me’. Vincent’s sacrifices his personal identity to become Jerome Morrow, a genetically perfect person. This communicates that in this society, identity is found in a …show more content…
Eugene suffered from the burden of perfection and his happiness was destroyed. Vincent described Eugene as a person with ‘all the gifts required. A genetic quotient second to none’. Niccol characterised Eugene as the genetic definition of perfect, however, he was still not good enough when it came to a society like Gattaca. Eugene expresses this by saying, ‘With all I had going for me, I was still second best’. Eugene was second in the swimming competition, which would normally be considered a great achievement. However, Gattaca is a world perfection is the norm, therefore, second best was unacceptable. Eugene’s genetics are supposed to be ‘perfect’ and it should’ve been enough to win, but it isn’t, and society taught him that perfection should equal success and success should equal happiness. However, when this didn’t play out, Vincent has no other standards to measure happiness and therefore became unsatisfied with himself. In Eugene’s suicide scene, Eugene places his silver metal around his neck. The silver medal is a symbolism of Eugene’s unhappiness, as it is the cause of his suffering. However, Eugene’s character changes throughout the film. Eugene now had a purpose in helping Vincent achieve his goal, however, in the end, his failure overcame him and he killed himself. Niccol uses the characterisation of Eugene to convey that the destructive nature of perfection